Eaves-trough hanger



iid S a t nt 2,978,214 EAVES-TROUGH HANGER ores E. Sheets, 112 E. Jackson St., Columbia City, Inn. Filed Jni so, 195s, Ser. No.'752,025 6 (01. 248-482) The present invention relates to an eaves-trough hanger, and more particularly to a hanger to which a section 'of-eaves-trough may be easily removably attached. 3

customarily, troughs or gutters which'rir'n the eaves of a building roof carry away the water which drains off the roof to suitably located downspouts. These troughs are ordinarily permanently atfixed to the eaves by means of long spike nails and ferrules, these nails and ferrules being passed through one flange of the trough and into a part of the 'e'ave or roof structure.

When it becomes necessary to replace the trough, it is necessary first to pull the spikes. This is a major operation, since the nails are'usually rusted and extremely difficult to pull, usually resulting in considerable damage to the trough'itself.

With a trough mounted by means of spike nails, it is not feasible to remove the trough for purposes of servicing or painting. Instead, it is necessary togaiaaccess to the trough by means of a ladder or the roof itself, bothbeing attended with 'inconvenienee and some danger of a worker accidentally falling. r

The present 'inventionditfers primarily in the respect that it provides a device for hanging eaves-troughs or "glitters in a more facile and economical manner, the trough after so inounted being easily deinouiited for painting or other servicing. W p

/ It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an eaves-trough hangerwhereby an eaves-trough may be hung in a'itio re facile andeconomical manner. I

It is another object of this invention to provide an eaves-trough hanger "which is capable of mounting 'detachably an eaves-trough in supported "position.

Other objects will become apparent as the description proceeds. a

To the accomplishment of a the above aridrelated object's, my invention may be "embodied in the forms illustrated inthe accompanyilig drawings, attention "being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that specific change may be made in the specific constructions illustrated and described, so long asthe scope of the appended claims is not violated.

"Inthe drawings: k N

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of one embodiment of this invention shown as supporting a conventional eavestrough in place; a a

Fig. Z'is a top planview of Fig. 1 and shows a short length of eavesftrough as being mounted in place;

,Fi g. 3 isa'rear viewthereof; t I fig. '4 is an illustration of the retainer or lock shown infFigs. 1 and 2; and

N Fig. 5 is a sectionalillu stration taken substantially along section line 55 of Fig. 1. v

Referring to the drawings, the bracketor hanger of this invention comprises an elongated. substantially flat strap metal member 10 formed with a series of bends according to the configuration of Fig. 1. Thisfmember 10 h'a's two principal parts, a leg 12 and an arm '14. The

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leg- 12 is substantially straight and elongated, and carries on its lower end an inwardly extending foot or flange 16 which is bent at substantially right angles to the leg 12. The leg may be formed with a reinforcing rib 18, as :shown more clearly in Fig. 2, which is pierced at spaced intervals to provide a plurality offapertu'res 20; These apertures, as shown in Fig. 1, are adapted to receive nails, screws or the like 22 which are driven into a'suit able facing or supporting board, as indicated by the numeral 24. This board 24 mayconstitute the eave of a roof.

The arm 14 is uniquely shaped as shown in Fig. 1 and extends forwardly to terminate in a downwardly bent flange 26. The portion of the arm intermediate the flange 26 and the leg 12 is preferably provided with a reinforcing rib 28 extending lengthwise of the arm. 7 The upper end of the leg 12 and the left-h'and end of the arm 14 are bent, as shown in Fig. 1, into the shape of an inverted U, the sides 30 and 32 of this U=shaped portion being compressed or squeezed together so as to provide, a very narrow, slot-like space 34. The side 30, while it extends substantially parallel to theleg 12 for a short distance, gradually curves downwardly and outand is'identified by the reference numeral 38. This design of trough is conventional, having a flat rear wall 40, a flat bottom 42, an S-curved front wall '44, and a rearwardly extending flange 46 on the upper end 'of the front wall 44. As is shown in the drawings, the upper marginal edge of the rear wall 40 snugly fitsinto the slot 34, to be thereby held in place. The flange 16 onthe lower extremity of the leg -12 receives the rear portion of the trough bottom 42, while the upper portion of the front wall 44 nests against the arm14ai1d the depending flange 26. The retainer 36 is shown alone in Fig. 4 and preferably is fabricated of stiff, steel wire ,to the shape which corresponds to the capital letter -Z.

The upper arm or bar of this retainer is" bent into the shape of a hook or stirrup '48. The remaining arm or bar 50 is bent downwardly slightly so as '"to provide a short shaft-like portion 52. This shaft portion '52 "is received by an opening 54 in the outer end of the strain, the retainer arm 50 being on the underside of the arm 14 and the remaining portions 48 and 51 of the retainer being disposed on the upper *sideof the arm. As shown in Fig. 2, the hook or stirrup 48 embraces the trough flange 46 so as to secure the front of the trough against downward movement. The retainer arm 50 "also passes beneath the trough flange 46 to en age'and vertica11y support the trough. The retainer 36 may be'easily detached from the trough byswinging itcounterclockwis'e "the trough flange 46.

In order to retain or lock the retainer 36 in the'posi tion shown in Fig. 2, a dimple or abutment 5-6 is formed on the top side of the arm 14 at a point immediately adjacent to the aperture 54. Thisabutment '56 isso positioned as to engage the intermediate portion -51 of the retainer 36 when the latter is in the illustrated locked position and to restrain or prevent thereby the retainer from swinging counterclockwise out of engagement with the trough flange 46. a

In use, the bracket or hanger 10 without-the trough 38 secured thereto is fastened to a suitable eave board 24 by means of nails or screws 22. In this fastening, the hanger is positioned upright with the flange 16 at the bottom and the arm 14 extending outwardly from the eave 24. The retainer 36. is swung counterclockwise .from'the position shown in Fig. 2 until the mid-portion thereof snaps over the abutment 56. The eaves-trough 38 now is inserted into the hanger, with the upper marginal edge of the rear side 40 fittinginto the slot 34. The

flange 16 engages the bottom 42 of the trough, while the upper front trough portion nests between the arm 14 and the depending flange 26. As the final step in completing the attachment of the trough to the hanger, the retainer 36 is swung clockwise, as viewed in Fig. 2, until the hook 48 passes over and embraces the trough flange 46. The abutment 56 retains this hook 48 in engagement with the trough flange 46.

Detachment of the trough from the hanger is accomplished by merelyremoving the retainer '36 from the trough flange 46 and thereafter withdrawing the trough from the hanger. Any of these operations of attachment or detachment may be accomplished in a matter of seconds.

The shaft portion 52 of the retainer is only slightly longer than the thickness of the, arm 14, so that the bar 50 in combination with the retainer mid-portion 51 loosely embraces the arm and thereby holds the assembly together. The dimple 56 is raised sufliciently so that when the mid-portion 51 is passed thereover it is sprung apart from the bar 50. This causes the retainer to snap into place on either side of the dimple and prevents accidental disengagement of the hook 48 from the trough gang; when the mid-portion is positioned as shown in While only a single hanger has been illustrated and described, it will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that a plurality of such hangers would normally be used 11'! supporting a length of eaves-trough, the spacing between hangers 10 being, for example, two to four feet. Different spacings may be used.- In mounting a long length of eaves-trough, the hangers 10 are first nailed in position along a previously drawn line, which provides the necessary fall in the eaves-trough. One person may thereupon lift a length of eaves-trough and snap it into each of the brackets 10 until the attachment has been completed for all of the brackets.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that this invention permits a length of eaves-trough or gutter to be installed by one worker in contrast to the prior art arrangements which require, in almost every instance, two men to do the installing. Further, the individual hangers 10 may be fastened to an eave-board 24 along a drawn line which provides the desired fall in the gutter, thereby providing a facile method of achieving proper alignment.

The arm 14 is provided with an upwardly displaced reinforcing rib 28 which, in addition to strengthening the arm 14, also provides lateral drainage of any water into the gutter instead of toward the front or rear thereof. While the retainer 36 has been described as conform- ,rng substantially to the shape of the letter Z, it will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that this shape may be changed without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention so long as the scope of the appended claimsis not violated.

What is'claimed is:

1. An eaves-trough hanger comprising a strap metal member having an elongated, substantially straight leg, a plurality of spaced-apart mounting apertures in said leg, a forwardly bent flange on the lower extremity of said leg, said flange being substantially at right angles with respect to said leg, an arm integrally connected to and forwardly extending from the upper extremity of said leg, said arm having an inverted U-shaped portion connected at its opposite ends to adjacent portions of said leg and arm respectively, said U-s'haped portion being substantially compressed to providea small vertical slot- 4 like space between said leg and said arm, a downwardly bent flange on the outer extremity of said arm; a retainer on said arm adjacent said outer extremity, said retainer comprising a wire bent to a substantially Z shape, one end of the Z being in the form of a U and the other end being oflset to provide a shaft portion, said shaft portion passing through an aperture in said arm spaced a given distance back from said outer" extremity whereby said retainer may be swung with respect to said arm, and a locking boss on the upper side of said arm adjacent the last-mentioned aperture and engageable by the middle portion of said retainer for holding said retainer in locking position.

2. An eaves-trough hanger comprising a strap metal member having an elongated, substantially straight leg, a plurality of spaced-apart mounting apertures in said leg, a forwardly bent flange on the lower extremity of said leg, said flange being substantially at right angles with respect to said leg, an arm forwardly extending from the upper extremity of said leg, a connector integrally connecting the adjacent ends of said arm and leg together, said connector being an inverted U-shaped portion of said strap metal member having one side which extends downwardly a given distance along the front side of said leg to provide a slot, a retainer on said arm adjacent said outer extremity, said retainer comprising a wire bent to a substantially Z shape, one end of the Z being in the form of a U and the other end being olfset to provide a shaft portion, said shaft portion passing through an aperture in said arm spaced a given distance back from said outer extremity whereby said retainer may be swung with respect to said arm, and a locking boss on the upper side of said arm adjacent the last-mentioned aperture and engageable by the middle portion of said retainer for holding said retainer in locking position.

3. An eaves-trough hanger comprising a strap metal member having an elongated, substantially straight leg, a plurality of spaced-apart mounting apertures in said leg, at forwardly bent flange on the lower extremity of said leg, said flange being substantially at right angles with respect to said leg, an arm integrally connected to and forwardly extending from the upper extremity of said leg, said arm having an inverted U-shaped portion connected at its opposite ends to adjacent portions of said leg and arm respectively, said U-shaped portion being substantially compressed to provide a small vertical slotlike space between said leg and said arm, a downwardly bent flange on the outer extremity of said arm; a retainer on said arm adjacent said outer extremity, said retainer comprising a wire bent to a substantially Z shape, one end of the Z being in the form of a U and the other end being offset to provide a shaft portion, said shaft portion passing through an aperture in said arm spaced a given distance back from said outer extremity whereby said retainer may be swung with respect to said arm, and a locking boss on said arm adjacent the last-mentioned aperture and engageable by one portion of said retainer to hold said retainer in locking position.

4. An eaves-trough hanger comprising a strap metal member having an elongated, substantially straight leg, a plurality of spaced-apart mounting apertures in said leg, a forwardly bent flange on the lower extremity of said leg, said flange being substantially at right angles with respect to said leg, an arm integrally connected to and forwardly extending from the upper extremity of said leg, said arm having an inverted U-shaped portion connected at its opposite ends to adjacent portionsof said leg and arm respectively, said U-shaped portion being substantially compressed to provide a small vertical slotlike space between said leg and said arm, said arm having an upwardly projecting reinforcing ridge whereby water falling on the upper surface of said arm will drain laterally there-oft, a downwardly bent flange on the outer extremity of said arm; a retainer on said arm adjacent said outer extremity, said retainer comprising a wire bent to a substantially Z shape, one end of the Z being in the form of a U and the other end being offset to provide a shaft portion, said shaft portion passing through an aperture in said arm spaced a given distance back from said outer extremity, whereby said retainer may be swung with respect to said arm, and a locking boss on the upper side of said arm adjacent the last-mentioned aperture and engageable by the middle portion of said retainer for holding said retainer in locking position.

5. An eaves-trough hanger comprising a strap metal member having an elongated, substantially straight leg, a forwardly bent flange on the lower extremity of said leg, said flange being substantially at right angles with respect to said leg, an arm integrally connected to and forwardly extending from the upper extremity of said leg, said arm having an inverted U-shaped portion connected at its opposite ends to adjacent portions of said leg and arm respectively, said U-shaped portion being substantially compressed to provide a small vertical slotlike space between said leg and said arm, a downwardly bent flange on the outer extremity of said arm; a retainer on said arm adjacent said outer extremity, said retainer comprising a wire bent to a substantially Z shape, one end of the 2 being in the form of a U and the other end being offset to provide a shaft portion, said shaft portion passing through an aperture in said arm spaced at given distance back from said outer extremity whereby said retainer may be swung with respect to said arm.

6. An eaves-trough hanger comprising a strap metal member having an elongated, substantially straight leg with a forwardly bent flange on its lower extremity for supporting the bottom of an eaves-trough, an arm integrally connected to and forwardly extending from the upper extremity of said leg and having a downwardly bent flange on the outer extremity thereof; and a retainer on said arm for engaging an upper rearwardly extending flange of an eaves-trough, said retainer being formed of wire and having two end portions integrally joined by an intermediate portion, one of said end portions passing loosely through an aperture in said arm adjacent said downwardly bent flange whereby said retainer is pivotally mounted for movement between a first eaves-trough flange-engaging position and a second disengaged position, one of said retainer end portions being bent to be disposed below said arm and to engage the underside of said eaves-trough flange in the first position of said retainer, the other of said retainer end portions being bent to be disposed above said arm and having a hook formed on its end for embracing said eaves-trough flange in the first position of said retainer.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,923,276 Nord Aug. 22, 1933 2,635,841 Bauhammer Apr. 21, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 115,026 Australia Apr. 30, 1942 

